MGM pairs with Hakkasan

Ready to check into an upscale Bellaggio hotel with a stylish Hakkasan restaurant in a city other than Las Vegas?

If so, you may not have to wait too long. Vegas-based MGM Resorts International announced last week that it’s forming a joint venture with London-based Hakkasan Group to develop hip, non-gaming hotels with vibrant nightlife scenes.

Hakkasan Group, an upscale restaurant chain that specializes in upscale Cantonese food in chic settings, started in London but has a global presence including the U.S. with restaurants in New York, San Francisco and Miami Beach (inside the Fontainebleau resort).

News of the MGM-Hakkasan marriage comes one year after the opening of the five-story restaurant-nightlife Hakkasan venue on the Vegas Strip on prime MGM-owned corner land.

The two companies formed MGM Hakkasan Hospitality to design, develop and manage the hotels, the statement said. It will work on creating a mix of hotels, resorts and residential properties that bear the names of existing, well-known MGM properties – namely, Bellaggio, MGM Grand and SKYLOFTS.

Where might you find them? Key cities such as New York, Beverly Hills and London.

Some projects already underway will now come under the new venture’s umbrella, MGM said in its statement.

If it goes well, the plan should allow MGM to grow globally without focusing on gambling. Neil Moffitt, CEO of Hakkasan Group, will lead the newly formed hospitality management firm.

Readers: I’d love to hear what you think about this marriage of brands. Do you think the MGM-Hakkasan pairing will be a hit?

An accomplished newspaper journalist (USA TODAY staff 2002-2013) and relentless social media enthusiast, Barb wakes up at dawn seven days a week to search for, write and edit stories that resonate with travelers and travel business insiders. She craves stories that teach us something about life or business, make us laugh, shed light on our future or help make our journeys a little easier– or at least more interesting.